Throwback
by mirsch
Summary: When Casey and the crew save a girl from a fire, he finds that they have a lot in common. Please let me know what you think, I'd love to know.
1. Chapter 1

'Fire department, call out' Casey yelled, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the roar of the flames. 'In the bedroom' a high pitched voice replied between heavy coughs. 'Over here' Casey called out to Severide and Cruz, who were on the other side of the hallway and entered the smoke filled the smoke he saw the outline of a girl sitting on her knees, slightly bending forwards. The flames were close to her, but she didn't flinch. When he came closer he saw the girl was putting pressure on a heavy man's stomach. 'He's bleeding' the girl said stoically still pressing down on the man's stomach, beads of sweat steadily pouring down her face. Even in the light of the fire and the brave face she was holding up, she looked too young to be undeterred by the flames. The fire had singed her hair and Casey saw some minor burns on her arms.

The man was bleeding heavily and was unresponsive. Casey checked for a pulse and felt a weak thumb against his fingers. 'He's alive' Casey muttered to himself. 'Casey' Severide called out as he entered. 'Over here' he yelled back to Severide grabbing his radio. 'Two victims, middle of the room. One down, bleeding heavily, I suspect he has been shot, need extra hands in the master bedroom' Casey yelled over the radio. Severide and Cruz followed Casey's voice and found them quickly. 'We have to get you out of here' Casey yelled to the girl. 'But my dad' the girl said her voice finally starting to tremble. 'We'll take care of him, but you need to get out now' Casey gently pushed her hand aside and took over putting pressure on the wound. She hesitated. She looked him in the sizing him up in order to judge if she could trust him. Casey saw the fear in her eyes and understood it all too well, but she needed to get out of the burning house.

He heard two other fire fighters come in. 'Mills, get her out' Casey ordered, 'save him' she told Casey. 'I'll do everything I can, I promise' Casey said as Mills pulled her away and took her under his arm. Hermann put down the backboard he had brought up, flames roaring around them. They put the father on the backboard and lifted him between them, while Casey kept putting pressure on the wound. They managed to get him out fairly quick, taking the thick black smoke and the zero visibility into account. They laid the man on the gurney and Matt told Gabby and Shay what he knew about the victim, he was bleeding out. Gabby took over keeping the pressure on his stomach.'Put water on that fire' the chief's voice bellowed through Casey's radio and Casey heard the hoses come to life.

'Daddy' the girl screamed as she dashed over. Casey caught her in his arms and pushed her back slightly so Shay and Gabby could do their jobs. She struggled against him trying to get to her dad. He looked over to Gabby, seeing in her eyes that she didn't have a lot of faith in the father's chances of survival, still working as hard as she could to defy the odds.

'She shot him, she shot him' the girl screamed, the calm demeanor that she had inside completely gone, the fear had taken over. Matt couldn't blame her for that, now she was out of the fire Casey saw how young she was. She couldn't have been older than fifteen. 'Who did?' Casey asked trying to make her focus on him, instead of her dad's condition. 'My mom' she cried. Casey felt dazed by her revelation.

While Gabby and Shay were doing everything they could to stabilize the man so they could transport him to the hospital, Casey decided to turn the girl around so she couldn't see Gabby intubating her dad. She tried to turn back. 'You don't want to see this, believe me' Casey said. 'What happening?' She asked in between sobs. 'The paramedics are working on him, they are doing all they can' Casey tried to reassure her.

She seemed to calm down until she started coughing uncontrollably. 'You need oxygen' Casey observed as he gently pushed her towards the other ambulance. 'Don't look, okay' and she nodded against his shoulder still coughing. He looked over at Gabby who gave him a doubtful look. 'Smoke inhalation' he told the paramedic who brought out the oxygen tank straight away. The paramedic fitted the mask over her nose and mouth and told her to take deep breaths. She did, but her teary eyes were focused on Casey as he talked to her about trivial things. Her hand holding a tight grip on his sleeve, as the paramedics looked her over. 'You are going to be okay' Casey told her 'I promise you will be okay'


	2. Chapter 2

Her name was Taylor. She told him that after they arrived at the hospital as she was treated for her burns. After she had a fierce coughing fit again and had to use the oxygen mask again. Her lower arms and hands were now covered in gauze to protect the burns, but after about 45 minutes she hadn't needed the oxygen mask anymore.

They were sitting in the waiting area of Chicago Med, across from the nurses station. It was quiet in the waiting room, but the nurses were still bustling around all the same. He had laid his turnout coat over the shivering girl and held her close to him. After about an hour and a half, they still hadn't heard any news about her father. She had been nodding off and startling awake for about fifteen minutes, before falling asleep on Casey's shoulder, which left him leaning uncomfortably against the hard plastic handrail of the grey hospital bench, they were sitting on. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible and sleep as much as she could now. Because he knew that the coming days, weeks even months would inevitably be restless and painful.

He couldn't help his mind wandering to the moment that his life seemed to fall apart at the seams. He had been at home warm in his bed, he had been staring at the ceiling for hours. He had an English test in the morning and he was quite nervous about taking it. The last time he had an English test he didn't do as well as expected and his father had made it very clear that he wasn't pleased. He was fitfully trying to remember all the rules about writing a formal letter, while also trying to will himself to sleep.

He heard a loud banging on the front door and looked over at his alarm clock to see it was 3:57 am. 'Mom, mom, there is someone at the door. Mom' he called out for his mom only realizing then that her hadn't heard her going to bed. When he didn't get an answer he cautiously wandered downstairs. For a minute he thought someone was trying to break in, but then realized they wouldn't be banging on the door. As the banging continued, Matt decided he should have a look at who it was.

His mother had one of those chain locks installed, so Matt decided to crack the door open with that lock still on, shivering in the cold night. He was incredibly scared, but he tried to sound as brave as he could when opening the door, reminding himself that they couldn't get in as long as he kept the lock on. He saw two cops, a man and a woman. 'Hey, are you Matthew Casey?' The female cop asked with a sweet voice. Matt just nodded swallowing nervously. ' My name is officer Perez and this is officer Young. Do you think you can open the door for us?' she asked gently. 'My mom isn't home' Matt answered curtly. 'That's why we're here, buddy' officer Young chimed in, earning him a scolding look from his partner. 'Is she okay?' He asked. His question was met with an awkward silence. An uneasy feeling settled in Matt's stomach. 'Can I see your badges?' He asked trying to keep the panic out of his voice. 'Sure, that's a really smart question, Matthew' Officer Perez said and both her and her partner showed him their badge. Matt didn't really know what to look for to verify the authenticity of the badges, but they seemed real enough, so he closed the door to take the lock off.

Only now he realized he was only wearing his boxer shorts as the icy wind assaulted his unclothed body. 'You should put some clothes on, it's pretty cold' officer Perez said as she and her partner entered the small bolted up the stairs to find some sweatpants and a sweater as he heard the two officers quietly talking to each other, but he couldn't make out what they said.

'Casey' he woke up from his reverie and looked into Antonio's eyes. 'You okay?' Antonio asked. 'Yeah, long day, sorry' Casey answered dismissing Antonio's worrisome look. 'How's she?' Antonio nodded at Taylor, still fast asleep on Casey's shoulder. Casey looked at her pale face 'as good as can be expected'.

The doctor who was treating her dad, entered the waiting area. 'Any news?' Antonio asked. The doctor nodded 'but she's asleep, I can tell her later' she said quietly, voice full of pity. Casey knew what that meant, if the news could wait, that meant that… He could feel a pang in his heart for her. Unconsciously he pulled her closer to him. He knew she had to be as scared and lost as he had been all those years ago and he made a promise to her and himself. He would not let her go through this alone, he would be there every step of the way.


	3. Chapter 3

She was trying to keep pressure on his wound, but the blood kept oozing out all over her hands. The fire was getting closer. All of a sudden a big flame consumed her father. She screamed and jerked awake.

Taylor heard a heartbeat under the surface she was lying on. She looked up expecting to see her father, but the bright blue eyes she looked into weren't the grey ones she was expecting. A tired frown formed on her face. 'You okay?' The man with the soot covered face asked. She sat up straight and looked around her. It took her a minute to realise where she was, the hospital. Taylor looked at her hands seeing the bandages that went up her arms. What had happened? 'Are you okay?' The man asked again, only now she noticed the fire fighting gear he was wearing. She recognised him and tried to find his name. 'Matt... what happened?' He sighed 'Taylor,I...' he started, but it seemed like he couldn't find the words. 'Taylor' another man she didn't recognise, said in a grave 'I'm detective Dawson. I'm really sorry to tell you that your dad died, after being shot...'

She felt a lump forming in her throat as she tried her hardest not to cry. She felt Matt's arm tugging her towards him, she gave in and let her head fall back on his shoulder. He rubbed her shoulder whispering calming words to her. Telling her she was going to be okay.

About half an hour later a lady from DCFS arrived. Her name was Nina Johnson. Detective Dawson had some questions about what happened and miss Johnson had to be present, because Taylor was a minor. Matt never left her side during Detective Dawson's questions, rubbing her back soothingly and telling her she would be okay. It was nice to have him there. Even though they hadn't exchanged that many words, she felt like he understood her seamlessly. The situation seemed less scary with him around.

She told Detective Dawson about her parents, their ugly divorce, their fights and what she saw and heard when her mother...

She tried to shake the image of her mother with a gun from her head. They had talked for about 15 minutes, when Detective Dawson decided it was enough for today.

'It's time to go now' miss Johnson said after Detective Dawson had finished the interview. 'Where are we going?' Taylor asked. 'I'm taking you to a shelter, until we find a long term solution' miss Johnson said. The word solution made Taylor feel like she was a problem or an inconvenience. 'Do you need to get any stuff?' Miss Johnson asked. Taylor looked at her in disbelief 'my house burnt down, there is no stuff' she bit at the slightly coquettish lady. 'I'm sorry Taylor, come on let's go' miss Johnson said trying to ignore her mistake.

Grudgingly Taylor stood to go with miss Johnson. Matt got up quickly. 'Can I talk to her for a minute, before you leave?' He asked. Taylor wasn't sure what to make of it, but miss Johnson stepped away and let Matt talk to her in private. 'I know what you're going through and I want you to know that you're not alone' he said breathlessly. Taylor saw in his eyes that he was genuine. He pushed a piece of paper in her hand with a phone number on it. 'If you want to talk' he said. She nodded 'Thank you' as she went for a hug.

'You're going to be okay' he whispered to her before she left to follow miss Johnson to her car.

-—-

The following night he finally stepped out of his car in front of his home, after what seemed the longest day ever. Antonio had dropped him off at the fire house after they said goodbye to Taylor. Before he stepped into the house again he took a deep steadying breath in order to try and be his normal stoic self. It had worked well enough.

He went into the common room to grab a cup of coffee and was headed for his office, when Hermann asked what had happened. He relayed the story, whilst looking studiously at his coffee.

'Her mom did it' he said quietly, still purposely not looking anyone in the eye. 'Poor kid' Cruz said. 'Yeah' Casey said. 'are you okay, Lieutenant?' Hermann asked.

'Fine' he replied and made for his office. He really wanted to talk to someone, but he didn't know who to talk to. He used to talk to Hallie about these kind of things, but she wasn't an option anymore. Retreating and keeping to himself seemed like the best option now.

'Casey, you okay?' Severide asked as he stepped into Casey's office. 'You're the third person to ask that in about half an hour' Casey said stoically. 'We just like to be sure' Severide answered. Casey couldn't help but smile at that. 'I'm fine' he reassured Severide as much as himself.

That's how the rest of his day had gone by, telling people he was okay. Boden had even called him into his office to check if his head was in the game. Casey managed to reassure Boden that he was fine, but the rest of the day he felt his chief's eyes burning in his back.

Now that he was finally home, he had only himself to lie to. After he locked the door behind him he rested his head against the hardwood. He couldn't help the tears falling from his eyes. He turned around and let himself slide down the door until he was in a sitting position. He pulled his legs against his chest and rested his head on his knees while he cried.

He really missed his father, their relationship might not have been the best, but Matt missed him regardless.

Meeting Taylor had brought back all the feelings of the night his father died, and Matt was unable to suppress them this time around. Ever since his father died Matt tended to become stoic when it came to emotions. If that wasn't enough his anger would flare, but he promised himself that he would never cry.

So he sat there pressed against his front door, sobbing loudly, unable to stop the tears from falling.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello,

I'm sorry for taking a little longer to up load then usual. I had some exams to get through. Hopefully you will enjoy the next part of the story. Please let me know what you think.

Love Mirsch.

Casey hadn't heard from Taylor in over a month and he started to worry about her. Her phone was left in the fire, but she managed to call him from the shelter a couple of times. She had sounded like she was trying to keep her emotions, her life, her sanity in check and their conversations seemed to help her with that.

He had seen her twice since the fire. Once when she had a follow up interview with Antonio, which Antonio had told Matt about it. Matt really appreciated Antonio's efforts and thanked him profusely, when the day of the interview came. Antonio really tried to keep Matt in the loop about Taylor's dad's case. Matt wasn't allowed to sit with her during the interview, but he was waiting for her outside with a cup of hot cocoa. Afterwards he asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. They had talked for hours about their dad's, but also about easier stuff like hobbies and friends. He had learned that she liked playing the piano and that she was an avid ice hockey fan.

The second time he saw her was at her father's funeral. She looked well enough. Tired but alert. She was wearing a black dress, she had borrowed from a friend. Her dark brown lay in a long braid over her shoulder. She was the only family member attending the funeral. Matt wanted to stand in the back between the other attendees. Little did he know there wouldn't be a lot if them. There were a couple of colleagues. So Matt decided to stand next to her and hold her hand. Even though he and Christy weren't close, they had gone through the funeral together and support each other through that day as much as they could. Matt remembered needing his sister's hand in his as she needed his encouraging nods during her speech. Taylor didn't have family members around to do that for her, so Matt decided he would have to substitute for that.

The graveyard was covered in a serene blanket of snow. Everybody was quiet and didn't know what to say to the young girl, who had just lost everything. Taylor was met with awkward nods and half whispered condolences. The people attending the funeral barely even looked at her. Just like people didn't know what to say or do around him and Christy.

She tried to keep her emotions at bay during the ceremony. She sniffled a couple of times, but didn't cry, until she had to say a few words.

Just as Matt had done way back when. He had stood there struggling against his tears, while looking at the closed chest his father was lying in. As he started to say the words he had prepared he couldn't keep the tears back. It was nothing to be ashamed of, it had been a hard blow when he lost his father, he was sure it must have been for Taylor too.

'Matt' she said after the ceremony, wiping her tears away with a tissue. 'Thank you for coming' she said. 'Ofcourse, how are you doing?' He asked. She shrugged 'I'm not really sure' she admitted, looking at the place where she had just put her father to rest. 'I know' Matt said 'it's a weird time, huh?' She nodded. 'It's just that I can't really get my head wrapped around the situation. How did this all happen, why did it happen, you know?' It was Matt's turn to nod. 'Does that ever go away?' She asked. Matt had told her bits and pieces of his own past, so she knew that she talked to someone who'd understand. Matt took a couple of seconds to think about it. 'It doesn't really, but at some point it won't be on your mind all the time' he answered honestly.

He took her for dinner after the funeral. Just a simple diner really, nothing special, but he saw she enjoyed it. There was a semblance of a smile on her face, while they both relayed happy memories of their fathers, while slurping away on their milkshakes, she liked strawberry.

She told him about how she and her father liked to go rock climbing on the weekends from time to time. He told her about the Blackhawks games he'd visit with his dad.

She told him she might go to live with her grandmother from her mother's side of the family. She was happy to move, because she hated the shelter. Matt understood that all too well, having been in and out of them until he was 18 and joined the CFD.

He had driven her to the shelter, giving her a big hug, telling her to keep him up to date. That was the last time he had seen her or heard from her. And he started to worry.

Taylor was incredibly cold as she was walking through Chicago in the midst of winter. The icy wind went right through the black second hand sweater she was wearing. Still she kept walking. She had to find Matt.

The day after her father's funeral Taylor moved in with her grandmother, whom had begrudgingly agreed to take her in. Her little half brother had been living with her for a while now, since her mother had had some trouble with substance abuse.

It wasn't easy, living with her grandmother, who was a bitter woman. She made Taylor do everything around the house, telling her she had to repay the favor her grandmother did Taylor. She also wouldn't allow Taylor to call anyone, have friends over or even to go over to friends. Her grandmother said she needed Taylor, because of her old age, but Taylor started to feel like Cinderella more and more.

After two weeks of living with her grandmother, a lawyer came by to discuss her mother's case with them.

'Taylor, we would like you to testify on your mother's behalf' the lawyer said. 'Why?' She asked. 'We think your testimony will help her case. It might lessen the sentence if you were to say some nice things about her' he explained. 'Like she killed my dad and almost me in the process?' Taylor bit at the lawyer. 'She's the only parent you got left, sweetheart, and I...' 'don't call me that' Taylor interrupted the smug lawyer.

'Young lady, don't talk to mr. Franklin like that' her grandmother scolded. 'I don't what to testify in mom's defense. Period' Taylor stated determently. 'What about your brother? He will grow up without his mother' her grandmother shrieked. 'He will anyway, she committed murder, grandma. What do you think is going to happen?' Taylor argued heatedly. They were only talking about this, because her little half brother Thomas was playing at a friends house. He had been told that his mom was taking a trip and that she would be back.

Taylor knew better and her brother was not her responsibility. Getting Justice for her father was. She was going to testify against her mother.

'If you testify that your mother is a good and loving mother, she might get a lighter sentence and have a chance to get on parole sooner' her grandmother said. 'Did you see this?' Taylor asked as she put up her still heavily bandaged hands. 'I got these applying pressure on my dad's stomach, because she shot him and then set the frickin' house on fire! I lost my dad because of her. I can barely hold a fork because of her. I won't testify' Taylor said adamantly.

'Out' her grandmother said softly, barely above a whisper. 'What?' Taylor wasn't sure she heard it right. 'Get out' her grandmother screamed. She stood and started to push Taylor out of the room. ' ma'am' the lawyer tried to interject, but she wouldn't stop pushing and hitting Taylor with the thick paper, that she had grabbed of the table. Eventually chasing her out of the house. 'Don't you dare come back' her grandmother screamed as Taylor decided it was better to walk away.

After walking around for most of the day, she had managed to find herself a spot in a subway station, where she spent the night. It was still freezing, but it wasn't as bad as staying outside. She felt tears falling down her cheeks as she tried to make herself comfortable on a bench. What was she going to do now? She could try to find Matt. She didn't want to disturb his life, but she felt she didn't have another choice.

The next morning, after barely getting any sleep, she started walking again. She didn't know much about Matt other than that he was a firefighter. Her grandmother had taken his phone number away from her and she couldn't remember it. So she started walking trying to find anything that looked like a fire house.

She stepped into a building with the CFD logo on it. 'Hey kid, you lost?' A big man came up to her as she stepped in. 'I-I'm l-looking for Matt Casey' she managed to say, while shivering heavily. 'He doesn't work here' the firefighter said. 'D-do you know where he works?' 'Yeah, he's at 51' he said as the alarm bell went off. 'Stick around kid, we'll get you there once we come back' he said kindly.

She couldn't wait, she had to find Matt. She knew where 51 was so she started walking again.

She knew she was near. She had been walking in this cold for over an hour since she was at the other firehouse. She could barely feel her hands and feet anymore. She had stopped shivering about 15 minutes ago and the cold seemed to be in her bones. It had been snowing endlessly for hours. She licked the snow from her cold chapped lips, hoping to quench her thirst.

She saw the yellow building to her right, walking past an old Camaro. She found the door. As she opened it warmth gushed over her. 'Taylor' she heard a familiar voice. Then her legs gave out and she didn't hear another thing.


	5. Chapter 5

'You okay, Lieutenant?' Hermann asked him. The worry over Taylor must have been etched in his face. 'I'm fine, Hermann' Casey said stoically. 'Have you heard from the girl from the fire where... you know?' Hermann asked. Casey looked down on Hermann from his spot in the passenger seat from truck 81, where he was going through the daily checklist to keep the rig going.

'No, I haven't heard from her since her father's funeral' Casey said calmly, even though his tone was bordering at annoyance. 'Don't worry to much about it, Lieutenant. She's probably with her family, trying to leave all of that behind her' Hermann said with an empathetic look in his eyes.

Casey mustered a tight lipped smile, but refrained from telling Hermann that he felt something was off. As Hermann walked away, Casey's mind started wandering. When his dad... he wanted to talk to someone who'd understand so badly, but was never able to find that person. He thought he could have been that person for Taylor. He thought she'd have wanted it as well. Hermann's made him doubt his gut feeling about Taylor not being well. Was he projecting his own feelings and wishes on her? He wasn't sure.

He half heartedly went on going through the checklist, when he heard the door leading outside open. He couldn't believe his eyes. 'Taylor?' He called out to her. She looked around and seemed confused. He jumped out of the truck and walked towards her. He called her again, she turned towards him this time, but before she could respond to him, she collapsed. Casey was just in time to grab a hold of her, before she would hit the ground.

She was cold to the touch and didn't respond to him calling her name. 'Hermann, get Dawson and Shay, Otis get the door' his men followed his orders immediately.

Casey carefully carried her to the bunk room, where he gently put her limp body down on the first bunk he saw. Shay and Dawson came in right behind him. 'Matt, what happened?' Dawson asked. 'She is hypothermic, I can barely feel a pulse' Casey stated calmly, even though he felt anything but calm. Dawson nodded and started looking her over as Shay grabbed Blankets and warm compresses. Dawson started taking Taylor's snow soaked clothes of, even her underwear was wet. 'We are gonna need some more blankets' Dawson stated curtly. Casey got up and started taking of the blankets of the beds.

'What's going on here?' The chief's voice boomed through the bunk room. 'A hypothermia victim, chief, she just wandered in and lost consciousness' Dawson told the chief, while checking her temperature. 'Her temperature is 94.1, once she's over 95, we will transport her to the hospital. If we move her sooner she might go into cardiac arrest' Dawson explained.

Dawson's statement jolted Casey somewhat. He knew what the consequences of hypothermia could be, he just had a difficult time hearing what could happen to Taylor, if they weren't careful. 'Right, do we know who she is?' Boden asked, looking pointedly at Casey. 'Ehm..., her name is Taylor, chief. We rescued from a house fire, where you know... the father was shot' Casey explained.

'Lieutenant Casey, I would like to speak to you in my office. Taylor is in capable hands' Boden said coaxing Casey out of the room. Casey looked back at Taylor's pale lifeless face, while Dawson put an oxygen mask over Taylor's mouth and nose as Shay was preparing a drip of warmed fluids, to help the girl to get warm again. Dawson gave him an encouraging nod and Casey followed Boden to his office.

'Sit' Boden said softly pointing at the chair across from his. Casey sat down, not really knowing what was coming. Did he do something wrong?

'Casey, are you okay?' Boden asked gently. 'Uhm yeah' Casey answered slightly puzzled by the question. 'I'm asking you this, because I think you've been spinning out about this girl' Boden explained calmly. Casey hadn't seen this coming and spluttered to answer his chief. The chief held up his hand, which was enough to shut Casey up.

'What do we tell our new colleagues, Lieutenant Casey?' Boden asked. Casey was still scrambling to get it back together and looked at his chief wide eyed. 'We tell them to help the people in need as much as they can and once they are safe, we walk away' Boden tried to instill the golden rule of being a first responder once more.

'But... chief' Casey interjected and again Boden raised his hand to shut Casey up. 'I know her case is important to you, Lieutenant. It strikes a personal note, but it's also been distracting you lately. I heard about you going to the funeral and waiting for her after her interview with Antonio' chief Boden explained further. 'You have to walk away, Casey' Boden warned.

'I can't, chief, I'm sorry' Casey answered. Casey saw a tinge of worry rise in Boden's eyes, just before they went stern again. 'Casey, I get it...'

'All due respect, chief, but I don't think you do' Casey interrupted. 'I lost my father too, lieutenant' Boden answered. 'That's not the same, sir. It's not just about losing your father. Everything falls apart if one of your parents kills the other. I lost my home, my family was never the same again. My friends stopped talking to me, simply because they didn't know what to say. I was so preoccupied with everything else, that my grades plunged down the drain. Everytime I had to go meet a girl's parents, I had to find a way to explain what happened. I had to figure all of that out on my own, there was no one to guide me. If I can help Taylor carrying that burden, I will, chief' Casey had never told anyone about this and he felt his emotions got the best of him.

Boden looked at him. Casey expected him to be angry. 'I'm sorry for what happened to you, Casey' Boden spoke softly. 'Hermann will take over as acting Lieutenant. You can go to the hospital with Taylor, but I expect you back next shift with a clear head, do you copy that?' Boden caved. 'Yes chief, copy that' Casey answered as he stood to go back to Taylor's side.

Taylor saw a bright light through her eyelids, she heard two male voice somewhere in her proximity. One voice sounded familiar. She tried to open her eyes, but the bright light made her head hurt even more. As the haze of sleep faded, she felt how much her body ached. Taylor let out a moan and the talking stopped immediately.

'Hi, Tay' the familiar voice spoke gently as he took her hand in his. 'Hi, Matt' Taylor mumbled and she opened her eyes to his gentle smile. 'How are you feeling?' Matt asked. 'Like a truck ran over me' she said. 'Yeah, I can imagine that' Matt said with mild worry laced in his voice.

'What happened?' Taylor asked. 'You came with symptoms of hypothermia, exhaustion and dehydration. We have been giving you warmed fluids and antibiotics. The antibiotics were given to fight of a potential infection' the doctor explained.

Taylor just nodded, it was quite a lot of information to process, after just being awake for a couple of minutes. The doctor left and Taylor tried to stay awake a little longer, because she felt a little guilty Matt had been sitting in her room for hours.

'You can go back to sleep, Tay, it's fine' Matt said as Taylor was fighting to keep her eyes open. 'I'm terrible company, aren't I?' Taylor smiled. Matt chuckled 'don't worry about me, sweety, I still have some paperwork to go through'. Taylor nodded and drifted off to sleep within a couple of minutes.

When she woke again, Matt was still sitting in the chair next to her bed. It had become dark outside. Taylor still was quite tired, but she felt infinitely better than she did when she woke up earlier. 'Hey Matt, you're still here?' She was genuinely surprised to see him. Whenever she used to feel sick, her dad would give her a quick kiss on top of her head, leave out a thermos with soup. Then he would hurry off to work. Being sick usually having to take care of herself. She didn't really understand why a stranger like Matt would care so much, yet she trusted him with her life.

'Of course, although I think they might kick me out after the visiting hour is over' he grinned. 'Do I have really good timing for waking up or...' 'no, not necessarily, the nurses let me stay by your side all day, because, well my fiancee used to work here' Matt explained looking around the room nervously. Taylor decided not to ask, at least not now.

'How are you feeling?' Matt broke the silence that had fallen over them. Taylor shrugged 'a little better than I did before'. 'That's good to hear' the doctor said as he walked in. 'Hi doctor?' Taylor didn't remember his name. 'Oh uh, Halstead' the red haired doctor replied. 'Hi doctor Halstead' Taylor finished her sentence. 'Hi miss Willows' he replied. 'Taylor is fine, doctor' Taylor smiled.

'Right, Taylor, we've been keeping an eye on you and it's looking really good, I think that you can go home tomorrow late in the afternoon' doctor Halstead said. Taylor felt panic rise, she knew she had to leave at some point, but she didn't think it would be that soon. She had nowhere to go.

'But where am I gonna go?' She asked quietly. Matt gave her an empathetic look. Taylor felt that her lower lip started to shake and she could barely hold back the tears.

'Taylor, listen. Miss Johnson has talked to your grandmother and she told miss Johnson that she... Uhm... kicked you out, because you were being stubborn and unruly. Is that true?' Matt asked. 'The part that she kicked me out is...' Taylor said 'but she kicked me out, because I didn't want to testify on my mom's behalf'.

Matt gave her a sympathetic smile. 'Going back is not an option then' he said determently. Taylor shook her head, she hated the shelter, but she hated living with her grandmother more. Her friends weren't really talking to her, so it wasn't an option to ask them. Taylor didn't have any other family apart from her grandmother and little brother. She was really wrecking her brain, but she couldn't find a solution to her problem.

'You know, I've been thinking, that... Uhm... if you wanted to, you could stay with me' Matt suggested hesitantly. 'Really?' Taylor felt elated as Matt nodded. 'If you want to, of course' Matt repeated. 'Yes, of course. I would love too' Taylor didn't know how to thank him, so she squeezed his hand and smiled from ear to ear. 'DCFS still has to give permission, though' Matt said.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi guys,

I'm sorry for taking this long to post another chapter. I've been quite busy, but I also had a bit of trouble getting this chapter right and honestly I'm still not completely sure! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I think there will be one more chapter after this one.

Matt spread a blanket out over Taylor, who had quietly taken up the space in the corner of the couch. He heard the kettle was done and pored Taylor a cup of camomile tea. He took off his tie and jacket and sat down next to her. She shifted so she was leaning into him now and let her head fall to his shoulder.

Matt and Taylor had found an easy intimacy in the last month or so that she had been living with him. Once she had gotten out of the hospital, she came with him. He had set her up in the guest room, helped her to paint it a minty green color and bought some stuff to make the room more personal to her.

Matt had asked Gabby and Shay to go shopping with Taylor, to get her some other clothes than the second hand ones from charity boxes. She also had taken one of his old CFD vests, which she basically wore non-stop. 'But it's so nice and warm' Taylor would whine mockingly, when he laughed at her again for wearing his clothes. The vest looked big and baggy on her, which was mostly nice on her arms, since her skin was still painful, because of the burns she sustained at the fire that burned down her whole life.

Otis had given her his old phone so she could keep in contact with Matt if needed, but also so they could text about Harry Potter, ending every textathon with "Mischief managed". Otis had also helped her to reinstall her Apple account and recovered some pictures that she had made with her phone. Shay and Gabby had given her some new jewelry and took her with them on girl time regularly. On the days that Matt was working, Taylor often came over and helped Connie with paperwork. Strangely Connie had taken a great liking to Taylor, which surprised everyone in the House. At those nights that Matt was working, Connie would drop her off at Hermann's place, where she would stay over for the night. She helped Cindy with the kids and around the house. Hermann told Casey that his son Lee Henry had taken a particular liking towards Taylor and would not shut up about her.

Everyone in firehouse 51 loved Taylor to bits and pieces and Taylor loved being there. For the first time in her life she felt like she was truly welcome somewhere.

On those days Matt would see a faint hint of a smile on Taylor's face. Matt had never seen her smile without a streak of sadness in her eyes. Even though any smile on her face was beautiful he hoped that he would see a genuine smile one day, as he imagined it would be like a ray of sunshine.

Today however was not one of those days. The trial against her mother had started today and Taylor was the crown witness in the murder case. She had been so nervous that morning, that she barely managed two bites of the toast Matt made for her.

Taylor had seen her mother being led in before the judge, heard that she was being charged with first degree murder. Taylor had been asked to take the stand today and was asked about her parents' relationship, about her relationship with them, about what happened that day.

The lawyer had torn into Taylor about letting her mother into her father's house. Her mother had just knocked on the door and Taylor had unknowingly opened the door. Her mother had stalked past her screeching she was going to kill her father for ruining her relationship with her daughter. The lawyer kept trying to lay the blame on Taylor, saying she wanted it to happen to her father, that she was even an accomplice to her mother's actions.

'I didn't expect my mom, I didn't expect her to… kill my dad and set fire to the house. I lost everything because of her, I never wanted any of this' she cried. Taylor had almost crumpled into a ball, afraid to look at anyone. She felt ashamed and guilty over something that wasn't her fault.

Matt's blood had boiled listening to that scumbag of a lawyer. How could they make her feel even more guilty? Severide, who had been with them, squeezed his hand in order to distract him from his anger. Severide tagged along because he had to testify himself, but also in support of his friend and Taylor. It was a difficult and confronting situation for Matt and he was grateful for Sev's presence. Both Matt and Taylor had received tons of supportive messages from their firehouse family, which was absolutely heartwarming.

Matt had testified himself, something he had done in other cases before. His seething anger towards the lawyer defending Taylor's mom didn't help. It took everything he had to not spit out his answer, or worse, pull the man over the bench and punch his nose until it broke.

Taylor's mom testified too. She said she did it because she wanted to see Taylor, wanted to be a family with her and Taylor's father denied her that. Taylor had sobbed on Matt's shoulder as her mother revealed more and more of what happened. She had planned it all even the fire. She admitted that she had wanted Taylor's father dead for a long time, no matter the consequence. She even admitted she had been high while going over to Taylor's house.

Now Taylor was on the couch with a tear-stained face, cradling the cup of tea in her scarred hands. Matt pulled her close and rubbed her arm. He placed a soft kiss on top of her head.

Casey couldn't help the memories of his mother's trial flashing through his mind. His mother had been brought in with handcuffs on her wrists. He and Christy sat side by side, Christy squeezed Matt's hand just before he had to take the stand. Nerves were rocking his body and he kept biting on the skin between his thumb and index finger. The scar still faintly visible on his hand.

He sat down on the bench, waiting for the prosecutor and the lawyer to ask their questions. He had been prepared for the prosecutor's questions and answered them without too much trouble, but then it was his mother's lawyer's turn to ask questions. Matt hadn't seen the questions about the house key coming. The lawyer had torn into him, suggesting that he wanted his mother to kill his father. He suggested that Matt had left the key out on purpose.

Matt hadn't, he had come to his mother's house after a fight with his father over a bad grade he had received on an English test. His father had yelled at him, told him he would never amount to anything. His father had shoved into the wall and would have punched him in the nose if he hadn't ducked out of the way. Matt had ran out of the house in tears, while his father was yelling after him. When he got to his mother's place, she was drunkenly climbing the stairs. Matt threw his keys on the counter and sprinted to his mother's side who was losing her footing on the stairs.

Matt had helped her up the stairs and put her to bed. After that he went to his room to start his homework, so he wouldn't get a B- next time, but at least an A-, that would usually satisfy his father. Christy left for college on the other side of the country a year ago and rarely ever came back. So Matt was left to deal with his parents on his own and he was failing spectacularly. Christy had been his father's favorite, he didn't even try to conceal that fact.

Later that night Matt heard his mother argue with someone on the phone, he assumed it was his father on the other end of the line. He heard the door slamming shut and the car starting. His mother probably went to get more booze, so Matt let her, he didn't want to fight her too.

'It was no reason to kill' Taylor said quietly. 'No, it wasn't' Matt sighed, being pulled from his thoughts. 'She could have just asked me to, I don't know, go drink coffee or something' Taylor sighed and went quiet again. 'Why did your mom do it?' Taylor asked after a short while. 'I only found out a year ago, never told anyone... ehm she killed my dad, because he said something nasty about me' Matt admitted. 'Was it a good enough reason?' Taylor asked. 'No, but what is?' Matt countered. Taylor shrugged not knowing the answer.

'What did he say, if I may ask' Taylor asked, making sure he only told her if he wanted to. 'He... eh he said he wished they had stopped having kids after my sister, he wished that I never had been born' Matt swallowed around the lump in his throat. 'He told me that himself, though. I think he just never said when my mother could hear it' Matt admitted.

Taylor gave him a sympathetic look. 'Well... I'm sorry he said that' she started as she cuddled closer to him 'but I, for one, am really happy you were born, so is everyone in the firehouse, the people you saved or going to save. They are all very happy that you are here, Matt' she said a she snuggled even closer to him.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys, thank you for sticking this story out. I hope you've enjoyed it!

This is the last chapter and I think it's a nice wrap up of Matt's and Taylor's story together.

Let me know what you think, I really enjoy reading reviews.

Chapter 7:

'Do you have everything?' Matt enquired. Taylor looked around the room, which was now stripped of her personal belongings.'I think so, you're gonna repaint the wall?' she asked. Matt looked at the slightly faded minty green wall opposite them and shook his head 'Nah, I like it' he said smiling woefully. He was going to miss Taylor around the house. She had lived with him for 2 years now and she was about to leave for college today.

Matt put the boxes down in the living room 'I'll send these out to you once you're settled' Matt said and Taylor simply nodded. They had been a little awkward around each other for days, now that the time to leave drew closer.

'Before you go tonight, shall we go and have a drink at Molly's?' Matt asked. 'I'm not sure I'm allowed in, Matt' she laughed. 'Oh well I know the owners, I think I can get you in' Matt winked at her as she snorted. 'Okay, let's go then' she gave in. They loaded the stuff she was taking on her flight into the truck and drove off. After a silent couple of minutes of driving Matt parked the car right in front of Molly's.

Before they stepped in Taylor took in the sight Molly's, she hadn't been there too often, since she was too young to hang around in a bar, but she had been there on private party occasions. She had celebrated some birthdays there, enjoyed Gabby's occasional Tapa nights. It held some good memories for her. 'You okay?' Matt asked as he laid his hand on her shoulder. Taylor nodded as they walked in.

'SURPRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE' a big crowd screamed at her. She clapped her hands over her mouth and laughed. She noticed the banner hanging over the bar, reading: _Congratulations Taylor._

All the guys from 51 were there as well as some of the cops that had helped with her father's case. Taylor saw the doctors that had tended to her burns. She saw all the friends she had made since that fateful night and couldn't help the tears filling her eyes, they were tears of joy though.

Everybody came over to hug her and congratulate her on graduating high school with flying colors and being accepted into college. Matt sat back drinking a beer while he watched Taylor mingle with both their friends one last time. He finally got to see a simple but overjoyed smile on her face, all the baggage she had resting on her shoulders forgotten for a minute.

'So where you goin'?' Hermann asked. An even bigger smile appeared on her face. 'I uh… I got accepted into Harvard medical school' a roar of cheers came up. 'What type of doctor do you want to be?' Joe Cruz asked. 'I wanna treat burn victims' she said holding up her own scarred hands. Another round of cheers came up and some were applauding her. Taylor was shining in pride.

A lot had happened over the past two years. Taylor got on her feet impressively quick after she came to live with Matt, even with the trial lurking over her, she managed to get back to straight A's in school and she even picked up her dancing classes again. Whenever she had recitals, the whole firehouse came to watch and support her. She had the part time job at the firehouse throughout the two years she lived with Matt, to everybody's joy in the house. Everybody loved Taylor to bits and Taylor basked in it.

Matt and Taylor had become like brother and sister over the years and managed to keep up the easy intimacy they had together. They had both been through rough patches in their youth and they found a comfort with each other, they could have never found with anyone else. They both had seen neglect, abuse and murder, they both witnessed their family falling apart. But what bound them together most was their resilience and their love for life. They went out for runs together, dinner and loved to go climbing together.

It felt good for Matt not to live alone after losing Hallie. He had had moments during the last two years that the grief over her had stricken him particularly hard. Taylor had been the only one to notice when he had been struggling. She would ask him if he wanted a hug. He always turned it down, even though he wanted to hug more than anything. She would know and would tell him that she could use the hug, so he could get the hug unashamed, whispering a quiet 'thank you' into her hair.

Now they were stood outside of Molly's leaning against Matt's truck. Taylor was watching the sign wistfully. Matt took her hand 'You okay?' he asked barely keeping his voice from shaking, since he knew what was coming now. Chief Boden would take Taylor to the airport, because Taylor wasn't sure she would get on the plane if Matt would be there. Taylor shook her head tears filling her eyes.

'I'm going to miss you so much' she hiccuped. 'I'm going to miss you too, Tay, but I'm only one call away' he said wiping away her tears. 'I know' she said as she pulled Matt into a hug.

When they let go Matt took a package out of his truck and fiddled with it between his fingers. 'I uh, I got you something' he said taking a deep breath. Taylor took it out of his hands and opened the package first. It was the old CFD sweater Taylor liked so much. She smiled at him as she hugged it against her.

'Are you ready?' Boden's low voice spoke softly to Taylor. 'As ready as I ever will be' Taylor sighed looking at Matt. 'Come on then' Boden said. Matt put Taylor's suitcase in the back of Boden's car and gave Taylor one last hug told each other they loved each other.

'Don't be a stranger' Matt said as Boden started the car. Boden pulled out and the car drove off. 'You okay?' Matt heard as he was waving until he didn't see the car anymore. Severide was standing next to him, the party inside still going on.

'I will be' Matt whispered.


End file.
